The following weekend, Mina walks to a nearby cafe for her dessert hopping session. She's dressed in her frilly pajamas, her hair wavy, with two flowery clips on her head. Ding- the cafe door opens, the aroma of sweet bread fills her senses . She roams around, wondering which dessert to get, they're buffet style. Her eyes drift to one corner, and she halts. A familiar figure, broad shoulders, black jacket. Isaac sits on one of the tables, and a woman sits in front of him. She laughs elegantly, an air of polished grace surrounds her. Isaac listens in, Mina cannot make out his face. She hides instinctively, then returns as she had no reason to. "Oooh scoop! Score!" She giggles to herself, thinking she got some drama. She tries to focus on the dessert hunt, but all her senses are directed towards that particular table.
Mina tiptoes past the tiramisu tray, pretending to examine the frosting like it's the most fascinating thing in the world. Her eyes, keep darting back to that corner table. The woman across from Isaac is dressed in a sleek cream blouse with delicate pearls at her ears. She has the polished smile of someone used to galas and press cameras, the kind that makes Mina immediately think old money.
"Ahhh, rich people laugh," Mina mutters under her breath as she pokes a cheesecake slice with the tongs. "So refined. So... hahaha instead of hehehe." She mimics it to herself, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth so no one hears.
Isaac, of course, sits as if the entire cafe belongs to him. Jacket draped perfectly, posture straight, one hand loosely around his coffee cup. He nods calmly at the woman's stories, though his eyes look faintly distracted, distant even. He looks at peace, or that's what Mina thinks. Mina squints at him, frowning, "How come he never looks like that in the office? We'd appreciate this demeanor too, y'know?"
The woman leans forward slightly, smiling with intent. Mina tilts her head, her imagination going wild. "Is this like... an arranged marriage interview? He's sooo not into it though. Look at his poker face. Or Or he's so flustered that his mind short-circuited. Omo omo, drama!" She giggles, this is definitely fun for her.
She turns dramatically to leave the dessert section, trying to avoid his line of view, only to lock eyes with Isaac across the room. For one second, her soul nearly leaves her body. She bows so low her clips almost fall out, then pretends to inspect the chocolate fountain. the tray, the plants...anything like its the most interesting thing in the world.
Isaac's gaze lingers for a moment, before he returns it to his companion. Mina, on the other hand, scrambles into a seat at the far end of the cafe, heart pounding. She stares at her strawberry tart, "Eat Mina, eat. Calm down. Its not a scoop. Its none of your business at all! You're just....dessert hopping. YES! Dessert. Hop. Focus."
She pretends to be nonchalant, but she finishes her tart in record time, her cheeks puffed like a hamster. She tries to sneak a glance at Isaac's table one last time before leaving, like c'mon it is drama, but just as she turns, he's already looking at her.
She freezes mid-bite, her fork sticking out of her mouth like an antenna.
Isaac's date is still talking, but his eyes don't leave Mina. His brow twitches, and Mina thinks he's judging her. He says something to his date, and suddenly stands up from his seat, and walks towards her. His date looks at her direction. Her face does NOT look pleased.
Mina is screaming internally, "No no no, don't come this way..." she tries to hide her face with her hair, plate, but he's already in front of her. He squints his eyes, and with a low voice says, "Miss Kang, fancy seeing you here."
"Welp" she says, and back is the pretentious Mina. "Ummm, fancy seeing you here too, boss! You, uh... business meeting, right? Or a date? Nice cafe, huh? I was just, y'know, dessert hopping! Totally innocent! Oh look she looking at you, you shouldn't keep her waiting, I'll be on my way!" She rambles, while Isaac listens, with a faint hint of amusement. He stares at her, "I hope you were not spying on me."
She giggles, and makes a dramatic hand sign, "Oh puh-lease sir! I was not spying! I was multitasking. Eating dessert and observing human dynamics." She winces, turning her head away, disappointed at her own explanation.
Isaac leans slightly closer, lowering his voice. "If you have enough time to 'observe,' maybe I should assign you more work." Mina gasps, "I'll be on my way! No more observing it is!" Mina huffs, puffing her cheeks, but shuffles off with her bag. As she rounds the corner, she mutters under her breath, "Ugh, scary CEO. Can't even eat a tart in peace. I didn't even get to try the chocolate mousse..." Isaac hears that, and his lips somewhat curl up, he watches her leave.
He turns around, his face stoic now. Isaac returns to his seat, calm and composed, but his date's eyes are sharp. She's been watching.
"That girl…." she says, swirling her tea. "She knew you. Who is she?"
Isaac doesn't flinch. "One of my employees."
Her lips curve, but it isn't a smile. "Mm. She seemed comfortable enough to interrupt you. And you actually went after her."
Isaac stays silent. She tilts her head, studying him like a hawk. "I don't tolerate divided attention, Isaac. If your focus is on some nobody in tacky flowery clips from the dollar store instead of me, then I'd rather not waste my time."
Her words are sharp and dismissive. Isaac doesn't answer. He simply takes a sip of his coffee, his jaw set. That silence says more than words ever could.
The woman leans back, scoffing softly. "Interesting. For someone who prides himself on being untouchable, you're already getting pulled off balance. If you want to court a girl like that, fine, but don't drag me into the spectacle. Thanks a lot for wasting my time."
She stands, adjusts her coat, and leaves with the quiet click of her heels. Isaac remains there, staring into his cup, the faintest irritation flashing across his expression. For the first time in a while, he's been cornered, because she was right. He had no reason to go over to Mina. He did get pulled off balance.
Mina reaches home, still murmuring about how her boss didn't even let her eat in peace. Once inside though, she plops on her bed. On one hand its juicy scoop, but on the other hand it wouldn't be a good thing to reveal someone's private life like that. She chooses to do the right thing, it will be her secret, for now.
She munches on one of the muffins she bought, and her mind drifts back to the pretty woman in the cafe. "She was so beautiful, I wonder if they'll date" She looks at herself, pouts, sulks, then slaps her cheeks with both hands. "No Mina, YOU are pretty too. You can always be like the person you want to, moldable always, like cake batter." She giggles to herself, unaware of the ripple she caused back at the cafe.